Institutional #2

Title: “Assuring Quality and Accountability in Postsecondary Education: Assessing the Role of Accreditation”

Summary:With the pending re-authorization of the Higher-Education act, the House Education and the Workforce committee came together to discuss how effective the accreditation process is by the measure of the quality of its teachers.

Topic: Accreditation of all Schools of Education

Category: Instituitional, Governmental

What is it? Federal Document Clearing House Congressional Testimonies

Publication Information: Oct. 1, 2002

Author: None listed

Location: http://0-web.lexis-nexis.com.janus.uoregon.edu/congcomp/document?_m=722d95a24ecc52b30039c3f315a90d04&_docnum=1&wchp=dGLbVtz-zSkSA&_md5=91b5ad53086110383511410adb940fdf

Accessed: Feb. 8, 2009

Support:

Howard P. Buck, chairman of The House Education and The Workforce Committee
Dr. Laura Palmer Noone, president of the University of Phoenix
Dr. Charles M. Cook, director of the Commission of Institutions of Higher Education
Dr. Linwood Rose, president of James Madison University
James Brown, president and CEO of Daniels Fund
Dr. Judith S. Eaton, president of Council for Higher Education Accreditation

All of the above people spoke at the Congressional hearing about the value of the accreditation process. Each of them have first-hand experience with the accreditation process, either through having undergone the procedure or having been a part of submitting it.

Audience and Agenda: The audience for the hearing is the House Education and the Workforce Committee. The speakers wish to plead their case on the topic of accreditation and sway policy in their favor. Most of the speakers’ interests lie with sustaining accreditation agencies.

Usefulness: The presidents of the University of Phoenix and James Madison University both tell their success stories of their experiences with the accreditation process. They rave that the accreditation process has improved the quality of their teaching programs and the partnership has been smooth. James Brown spoke out against the accreditation process and said that the accreditation agencies are measuring components that are irrelevant in terms of the quality of the final product. These arguments are made in order to persuade the committee that the accreditation process is or is not important to consider when renewing and reshaping the higher education act.

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